an opinionated sports blog

September 30, 2016

In the middle of the summer when the NFL schedule was released, NFL fans in London must’ve been thrilled to see that the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars we coming to town for one of the games at Wembley in the 2016 season.

The Colts would have Andrew Luck back and surely would be improved over the tire fire that was their 2015 season. The Jaguars made some huge moves in free agency and at the draft and were poised as a potential breakout team.

And then they started playing the games.

Indy has some real problems across the board, stuff that Luck isn’t going to be able to fix, like the defence and running game. It eked out its only win on a broken play against the Chargers last week but have looked average at best so far.

Oh, and the Jaguars are still the Jaguars – perhaps even more disappointing than ever, considering the hope that surrounded them coming into the season.

It’s really a miracle that fans in London have taken to the NFL when you consider the crap that the league has sent over.

And when you consider that the two other London games this year are Giants-Rams and Washington-Cincinnati, well, the Brits might be out of luck for another year.

The lines are from Vegas and the home teams are in CAPs.

CINCINNATI -7.5 over Miami

Sure, the Bengals haven’t looked like contenders so far this season, but with as hurting as the Dolphins are right now and on a short week, this was an easy one to pick.

Indianapolis -2.5 over JACKSONVILLE at London

The best part of the London games are getting to flip on the TV at 9:30 a.m. and watch some football. Both teams need this game, but I’ll take Luck over Blake Bortles in most situations.

NEW YORK JETS +2.5 over Seattle

An even more banged-up Russell Wilson and the Seahawks play an early game against a Jets team that needs to rebound after last week’s embarrassment. Call me crazy, but this seems like a good spot for the Jets to bounce back.

Detroit -2.5 over CHICAGO

The Bears might be the worst team in football. At least Chicago has the Cubs to root for, because that always ends well.

Cleveland +7.5 over WASHINGTON

I not only think that the Browns cover, but they can actually win this game. Washington hasn’t impressed yet and the reports about players griping about Kirk Cousins are never a good thing, even if they aren’t true.

Tennessee +5 over HOUSTON

The fact that this line moved by a point and half with J.J. Watt out is a bit amazing. But I already liked the Titans before the injury and think it will play this division rival close and maybe pull an upset.

NEW ENGLAND (NL) over Buffalo

No matter who plays QB for the Patriots – even if it’s Julian Edelman – I think New England wins this game. The Bills caught the Cards in the right spot last week.

Carolina -3 over ATLANTA

This could be a high-scoring one, but I think the Panthers will do well to get away from home after a turbulent week and a tough loss.

Oakland +3.5 over BALTIMORE

The Ravens may be 3-0, but haven’t beaten even an average team yet. They may be good at home, but the Raiders offence should give Baltimore trouble, even if Oakland’s defence isn’t up to snuff.

Denver -3 over TAMPA BAY

I don’t think that Trevor Siemian will have many four-TD games, but this Broncos team looks like it can surely contend again. The Bucs, on the other hand, just lost to the lowly Rams.

New Orleans +4 over SAN DIEGO

These two teams can sling it and I don’t think there’s enough of a home-field advantage to give up those points in this one.

SAN FRANCISCO +2 over Dallas

This is lining up as a gut-punch loss for the Cowboys, especially with Dez Bryant’s latest antics.

Los Angeles +7.5 over ARIZONA

This isn’t an endorsement of the Rams, it’s fading the Cards. Something’s not right with them, although that loss in Buffalo was a total trap game we should’ve seen coming.

PITTSBURGH -4.5 over Kansas City

The Steelers got a wake-up call last week and will also get LeVeon Bell back this week. The Chiefs destroyed Ryan Fitzpatrick, but that’s not the biggest accomplishment in the NFL.

New York Giants +5 over MINNESOTA

The Vikings are everyone’s darling team right now and that defence is scary, but the Giants are a team that zigs when you think they’ll zag. That’s why they can walk out of Minnesota with a win, but fall apart against Washington.